The Final Semester

Well, it's hard to believe, but we have now reached the final semester of the course. This, of course, means it's time to start thinking about what's next in life. An important part of this is also considering what I want from the last semester in order to maximise my employability.

I believe one of the most important aspects of the next few months is the SMLP (Self Managed Learning Plan). I have chosen to learn PHP during this, as I feel this is the skill I most need at this stage to increase my employability. In some ways, I'm feeling slightly nervous about having to teach myself something and structuring it myself. However, I feel I've identified some pretty good resources to help me with this so I should be fine. I also appreciate the importance of learning PHP in the long term so it's going to be worth ay extra effort I have to put in to get it right.

I feel another major aspect of the coming semester is the creation of my portfolio. This is very important in encouraging future employment. I have mixed feelings about the process of doing this. Whilst I'm looking forward to having a more professional way of displaying my work, I'm fairly sure it's going to be something I struggle to get 'just right'. The fact that this is going to be the primary way of showing my college work is going to bring out the perfectionist within me.

I believe another key aspect of the coming semester is the final presentation. This will be an opportunity for me to assess what I've done over the past 2 years - where I came from, where I am now, what I've learnt, and what I haven't. It will also be a good way to further my presentation skills and experience of speaking in front of people.

Over the final semester I'm fairly sure the pressure of having a part-time job as well as ongoing college work may become more apparent. As such, I'm beginning to consider which other commitments I currently have can be sacrificed for a short time in order to maximise what I can get out of the time I have left on the course. I feel that college work needs to be put first for a few months, so I can fully appreciate the time and opportunity I have to further my knowledge.

In terms of employability, I feel I'm getting to a stage where I'd be comfortable putting myself out there for a variety of jobs. PHP is obviously what I've identified as a weak point in my knowledge, but on the whole I feel my skills for employment are almost there - a few tweaks here and there over the coming months and I believe I'll be confident enough. Working part time recently has definitely aided me in this, giving me a range of experience and opening my eyes to weaknesses I can try to combat over the next semester.

Word Count: 498